Group Behaviour Flashcards
What is a group?
A collection of two or more people who
interact with each other and are
interdependent, in the sense that their
needs and goals cause them to rely on
each other
What are some common characteristics of a group?
usually have 2-6 members, tend to be alike, group cohesiveness and have clear social norms and well defined social roles
Why are groups beneficial?
provide care for offspring, protection from predators and increased efficiency
What is social facilitation?
the effect, positive or negative, of the presence of others on performance
What is the theory of mere presence?
The theory states that the mere presence of others increases a person’s general drive, which leads to increased arousal
What is social loafing?
The tendency to exert less effort when working on a group task in which individual contributions cannot be monitored
What does increased arousal result in according to the mere exposure theory?
This arousal makes it more likely that a person will respond in a dominant way, which is a response with the greatest habit strength.
What is a dominant response?
In a person’s hierarchy of possible responses in any context, the response that person is most likely to make
What is the result of the dominant response in simple tasks?
dominant response is often correct and preformances increases
What is the result of the dominant response in complex tasks?
the dominant response is more likely incorrect and performance decreases
Why does the presence of others increase arousal?
mere presence of others arouses us because we become more alert
What is distraction conflict theory?
suggests that when a person is trying to focus on a task, being aware of another object creates a conflict between attending to the task and the object. This conflict can lead to attentional conflict, which in turn can increase drive
What are key factors of social loafing?
group size, task importance and expectations
How does group size affect social loafing?
larger groups often lead to more social loafing
How does task importance affect social loafing?
perceived lack of importance can decrease individual effort
How does expectations affect social loafing?
Reduced effort if others are perceived to be disengaged
How to reduce social loafing?
make the task challenging, appealing or involving, making people believe that high effort will bring rewards and forming bonds between group members
What is group think?
A kind of thinking in which maintaining
group cohesiveness and solidarity is more
important that considering the facts in a
realistic manner
What are antecedent conditions of groupthink?
isolation, directive leadership, homogeneity and stress
What are the 8 symptoms of group think?
direct pressure, illusion of invulnerability, illusion of unanimity, mindguards, rationalizing, self-censorship, stereotyping, unquestioned beliefs
How can group leaders prevent group think?
group leaders should refrain from making their opinions known, make sure the group isnt cut off from outside input and designate a devil’s advocate
What is group polarization?
The tendency for group decisions to be more extreme than those made by individuals; whatever way the group as a whole is leaning, group discussion tends to make it lean further in that direction
Why does group polarization happen?
persuasive arguments account and social comparison interpretation
What is persuasive arguments account?
an analysis of group polarization that assumes that the opinions of group members discussing an issue or choice will tend to become more extreme when a majority of the members favor a particular position, because the group will generate more arguments favoring the majority position
